Cults has always been a band to look to both past and presen
t. When the young duo arrived on the New York scene in 2010 with the perfe
ctly formed debut single “Go Outside\,” it was described as Phil Spector w
ith hip-hop sensibilities\, glee soaked in reverb. Sometimes\, when Madeli
ne’s friends heard the song\, they asked her how they got little boys to s
ing on it. “That’s just me!” she told them. In fact\, if you ask Brian to
name his favorite album\, he’ll name Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul\,
a compilation by the Numero Group\, a collection of lost\, old R&B record
ed by children.